1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to image enhancement methods and more particularly to image enhancement methods using the fusion of data from optical and microwave sensors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Related inventions include the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,672,562 and 4,672,564 to Egli, et al, which disclose photodetector arrays and include computational means for determining spatial information about target objects; U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,285 to Perdue which teaches a combined sonar ranging and light detection; U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,010 to Michelsen which shows a system for locating objects and includes a radar system in combination with a television camera having the outputs combined in a data processing system to determine direction and range to the objects; U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,292 to Ninomiya, et al, which discloses a robot vision system including twin light beams used to determine the coordinates of an object; U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,432 to Anderson which teaches an image processor using a moment generator including processor means for determining the moments of a geometrical object; U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,855 to Bishop, et al, which reveals a sensing and control system using a mask algorithm image processor to generate control or command signals. None of the discovered related art teaches use of a first sensor in predicting the output of a second sensor and use of non-linear minimization techniques in determining the shape of objects.
Sensor Fusion (SF) techniques have been developed to combine information from such diverse sources as optical imagery, laser ranging, structured light, and tactile feedback. The present invention relates to the fusion of a set of polarized RCS measurements with optical imagery. The polarized RCS yields detailed information about an object's surface only if some other independent surface information is available. An interpreter needs information from an alternate source such as an optical image to convert the RCS into spatial information that a general SF system can use. Once this conversion is completed, the more traditional concepts of SF may be employed. A brief examination of the state-of-the-art in SF is provided, along with comparisons between the state-of-the-art and our SF method.